New Zealand Migration to Australia Is Not Bob Birrell's Problem

Hate the Kiwi seems to be quite widespread in Australia, though personally I have not experienced any bad feeling toward them. Indeed, most Australians welcome New Zealanders into society seeing them as ideal immigrants who can fit in immediately.

Bob Birrell, a Monash University demographer, says New Zealanders are the cause of the the recent jump in unemployment in Australia. He points out that New Zealanders holding temporary visas increased by 5.4 percent over a year. This is 1,620 of the 30,000 coming here. Considering the rise in unemployment was 0.6 per cent across the whole nation, New Zealanders working here could not possibly be responsible for all of this.

Surely, Kiwis bring some capital of their own and spend nearly all of their income here. Australia benefited a great deal economically by paying the fares here for European immigrants in the middle of the last century. These were mostly unskilled, poor people. New Zealander moving to this country should be no different.

The door has always been open for New zealanders to come here. It also works the other way. Australia can move to New Zealand very easily. It would be a pity if this partnership is damaged. Our history is intertwined. The ANZAC spirit is getting even stronger with the younger generation.